Hot Oil Treatments – The Humble Luxury With Excellent Benefits for Black Hair

Treat your hair and scalp to a shop bought or home made hot oil treatment Daily brushing, overuse of heated hair styling tools and dry weather conditions can take its toll on hair. The effect on black hair is even more pronounced due to its inherent nature of being dry to begin with. Giving your […]

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[LIFESTYLE DESIGN] Enriching Your Environment proven to stimulate the Brain

Friday is finally here.  I have a new tradition where I plan out my weekend on Friday.  For the past couple months, I've dedicated a portion of the weekend towards improving my environment.  This mainly consists of decluttering and organizing.

 It's an annual process that began years ago.  It's a method I utilize to prepare my life for the new year that awaits.  The goal is to create a "new" environment to attract new experiences in my life.  Little did I know that what I was doing was having a real impact on my brain power.
It started when I decided to that corporate America was no longer for me.  I devised a plan to work all year long and request two weeks off at the end of the year.  But instead of traveling off to some foreign land, I stayed home and did the following:

1. Cleaned/decluttered my home.
2. Worked non-stop on my business.
3. Invested time into my personal appearance.
4. Replicate elements of my ideal life. 

This routine wasn't perfect but it was ultra-powerful.  The process ALWAYS began with a focus on improving my environment.  I found that if my environment was right, a burst of motivation followed.  It was a similar experience to Eddie from Limitless. When he took his brain enhancing pill, the first thing noticed was his chaotic environment.  The moment his space was cleared and organized, all of the sudden he had the motivation to finally grind out that book he had been putting off.

Cleaning & organizing my space was good, but I also felt the need to also elevate it.  For me, this meant purchasing high-quality candles and decor that stimulated my soul and made me feel good. I couldn't explain it, but when my house was on point, something was also happening to me internally.

I can recall a few times when someone has stepped into my home, paused, and proclaimed, "wow, you have a nice house."  What they're commenting on is probably my decor.  It's nothing special, just a few notable pieces that add to the feel of the home.  That's what I strive to achieve...an environment that stimulates at deeper level.  There's a reason why wealthy people invest so much into their dwelling.  They utilize their living space to nurture their abundance mindset and lifestyle.

This morning, I discovered that by enriching my home environment, I could have been stimulating the growth of additional neurons in my brain.

There's evidence that "enriching the environments" of rats increases neurogenesis.  Neurogenesis is simply the generation (growth) of neurons in the brain. When they enriched the environment of the mice (by adding running wheels, colored tunnels, other mice) neurons grew and had a greater survival rate!  Growing neurons is healthy for our brain but they don't always have longevity. Especially if we don't actively use certain parts of our brain.

Keep in mind that once we've something new, the subconscious kicks it to turn it into a mindless behavior.  That's how we carry out most of our day.  We drive to/from work and complete our required tasks based on old information stored in the brain.  Operating on autopilot necessary, to some extent, but it inhibits the growth of new neurons.

If we can leverage the power of our environment to help promote a healthier mind, we must do it!

Those of you working to create new outcomes for your life, consider leveraging the power of being in an "enriched environment."  Maybe that means that you dedicate time to improve your home decor. Or perhaps, you work from places that make you feel good. Just like the mice experiment, enriching your environment also includes the people you surround yourself with.

I remember working out of specific coffee shops because I would be surrounded by real entrepreneurs as they discussed business strategies. Often times, I pretended to be working but was really listening to their brainstorming conversation as inspiration.  That was enough to stimulate my brain into action!

There a bunch of other ways to stimulate the growth our brains and we should experiment with all variations.  But, if we must begin somewhere, start with where you spend most of your time.  Enrich it in the way you see fit.  Never stop elevating your environment. 

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The Caramel Treatment – A Natural Hair Softener

Find out how to soften kinky and curly hair with this all natural treatment The caramel treatment is a product in the E’tae product line. Boasting an all natural line up of ingredients from honey, bananas to olive oil, this product delivers in its ability to seriously soften and hydrate the driest and roughest hair […]

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How To Choose A Conditioner for Relaxed and Natural Black Hair

Have shiny soft hair for days by choosing the right conditioner For any black woman who wants to grow her relaxed or natural hair long, finding a good conditioner is like gold! Conditioning treatments provide hair with much needed moisture and strength and with regular use, improve the elasticity and general health of the hair. […]

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Teyana Taylor's DIY Body Moisturizer is Life!!!

The deeper we get into the fall season, the more I panic.  I'm already starting to feel the effects of the drier air and I don't like it.  Every winter, I suffer from this incessant itching that occurs mainly on my upper thigh area.  Since I'm not exactly sure what causes it, I'm forced to attribute it to the low humidity environment.

One of my strategies, this year is to fight against dry skin like my life depends on it.  The other day, I happen to catch an IG live featuring Teyana Taylor.  She revealed that her glowing skin was a result of her "good moisturizer."  Although I never determined the exact brand her holy grail moisturizer, I came up on a couple of Teyana's other skin secrets that has already transformed my skin.
I've written countless articles about women who swear by coconut oil for healthy skin.  The most recent featured Blac Chyna's nightly routine.  Coconut oil is amazing on its own  but Teyana has found a way to make it even better!

The process is simple!  All she does is combine coconut oil with the most amazing, skin loving ingredient in existence......vitamin E.

I'm talking about the pure stuff, without the added soybean oil or whatever.

If any of you have used pure vitamin E on your skin, you know how nourishing it feels.  Imagine the wonderful outcome of combining the two.  I had the pleasure of trying this mixture for myself.  After my nightly shower, I applied the coco-E oil all over (focusing on my legs and feet).  The next morning, I woke up to my softest skin of my entire life!  No lotion could ever replicate this result....ever.

Teyana's coconut/vitamin E blend may save my skin this winter.

*side note* I have to try this oil combination on my hair as well.

Let's get back to the topic of her moisturizer that's so nourishing that her natural glow was mistaken for highlighter.  Although I can't be sure the exact moisturizer Teyana used, we can still theorize.

THEORY #1
Is it possible the Teyana uses a thin layer of her coconut/vitamin E oil on her face?  Back in the day, I used to go to bed greasy using pure vitamin E.   The compliments I received were never ending.  I walked around with an effortless glow that lasted throughout most of the day.

THEORY #2
Teyana could be using a moisturizer formulated specifically to leave the skin looking radiant.  Don't be afraid to experiment with adding a tiny bit of your favorite liquid illuminator (like NYX's Born to Glow) to your moisturizer or foundation.  #JazzmaTaughtUs 

THEORY #3
Perhaps she creates a hybrid of her favorite moisturizer and carrier oil combination.  Adding a tiny bit of oil helps your moisturizer to "stick" and leaves your skin with a glow.  You may have to play around with this depending on your skin type. Some oils (like vitamin E) are suitable for ultra-dry skin.  For normal, oily skin, you may want to experiment with rosehip which is a much drier oil.

Bottom line, you can have glowing skin by enhancing your daily moisturizer.  All you have to do is get a little creative.

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Your Foundation Application May Never Be Flawless Unless You Do This.

Once upon a time I went to my local professional beauty school for a massage.  Since the services were pretty affordable, I inquired about also getting a facial.  Whenever I go in for a skin service, I like to ask the person which treatment they think would best benefit my skin based on their assessment.

As the student looked at my skin under a bright light, she pointed out some concerns that I was well aware of. There was some acne scarring on my cheeks and dry patches on my forehead.  As we neared the end of the consultation, one of the professors came in to observe.  The student repeated all of the concerns that she identified when suddenly, her teacher responded with "what about the discoloration to the lower half of her face?"

I was a bit stunned.  "What discoloration? What was she talking about? How come no one had ever mentioned this before?"
When I got home that day, I looked into the mirror and, for the first time ever, I noticed that the bottom half of my face was darker than the rest. It wasn't that drastic, but it was there. Most of it is concentrated around my mouth and chin.

Unlike the rest of my hyperpigmentation, the discoloration is much more subtle.  And because it's not caused by past trauma (like acne scars) it's harder to treat.  There's a way to deal quickly address this issue.

And that's through color correcting.

I didn't understand the wonders of color correcting until recently.  I purchased a color correcting palette at a make up show and had no idea what to do with it.  After watching a quick video, I realized that the orange/reddish colored concealer held the secret to neutralizing my discoloration.

Even my most amazing concealers are no match for some of my darkest areas.  This keeps me from creating a truly flawless appearance.  Concealers are great, but they can only do so much.  If we take a second to color correct prior to applying concealers, we can change everything. 

If you have a deeper skin tone, a reddish-hued concealer might make the difference between a mediocre or an amazing finish.

Currently, I have one color correcting product in my possession.  That's not enough.  Since color correcting is the key to creating the flawless skin of my dreams, I must have an arsenal of products in place to get the job done.  I need a slew of color correctors in various forms (pens, liquid, cream, etc).

Best of all, color correcting doesn't require much technical skill, just apply to the dark areas and blend. Color correcting won't produce a cakey result like when you keep applying layers of foundation those dark areas.  Foundation is good, but it could work so much better with the help of a product created for the purpose of neutralizing hyperpigmentation. 

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Tutorial On How To Deep Condition Natural Or Relaxed Black Hair

Learn the process of a good deep conditioning treatment Deep conditioning relaxed or natural black hair is the most important aspect of hair care. A good deep conditioning treatment should leave the hair feeling soft and very moisturized. Also, depending on the styling afterwards, the hair should remain like this throughout the day. How often […]

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